Answers
I want to backpack through various parts of Europe. With the dollar lower than the euro, is it a good idea to exchange now in case the dollar falls lower against the euro in the future or should I hang on to my money and exchange it only when I travel. I am considering the UK (pound) and also croatia (HRK) in addition to places where the euro is used. I am hoping to travel sometime this year. Any and all opinions are welcome. Also travel tips if you have done this in the past are greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
The best bet is to keep your money in the bank! Use an ATM card when you feel you need the money. It saves on carrying travellers checks around and worrying if you'll lose it or something. But it all depends on where you think you will be. Xchange Pounds if you are going to be in the UK. But If you carry Pounds and when you go to Europe, you have ultimately xchanged twice. From US$ to Pounds, and then when you xchange it in Europe, to Euro.
If you keep $ as is, then use the ATM to withdraw what you need. If you have a creditcard, that is good too.
No need to exchange in advance. I use the ATM all the time.
my first vlog. about being an exchange student in japan :) 見てね！
Commodities price keep increasing, who are the speculators ? Who are the victims? How these bloody speculators play able to paly in the money games ?
Who are these heartless peoples who are earning billions of dirty money from the poors?
Why no politicians, mass media, economists, people with common sense voice out the truth of these dirty games or try to stop them?
Why all of them still lying to us? Giving us all kind of unrealistic information?
Why until today, there are no proper rules in banks, financial instutions and laws to prevent these type of bad intention speculating in all kinds of commodities, exchange rates...?
There are so many types of future options have been created by banks, financial institutions, trading campanies,...
Why until today, there are still no proper control in speculating using these tools call future options and they still name it hedging, free trade, ....?
I dont think the first answer posted here actually answered your question. It also seemed to be a sort of rant. I'm not an economist but I will give it a try:
It does seem offhand that speculation is what is driving the prices of commodity futures higher, especially oil and now some agriculture products. A knee-jerk reaction would be to step in as the govt. and fix prices on commodoties or pass some law to hurt or stop speculators. There are several problems with that approach:
1) Which govt? If the US govt. steps in and stops speculation on US exchanges for commodities, why wouldnt speculators just buy commodities futures from other exchanges? There are exchanges all over the world that trade commodity futures. The US is the big dog on the block so it may help some but then again there are other issues....
2) The US economy is in a downturn or recession or just plain feeling low. If the govt. stepped in and squashed the one area where investments are gaining it could have repercussion in other areas of the economy and make things even worse. For example, banks that heavily invested in real-estate are in a tailspin but that crash landing may be dampened by investments in commodities that gained money. If that gets taken away, it could mean the crash landing simply becomes a crash. That would be bad for the entire economy and make things even worse for the poor.
3) The media is whipping up food prices by causing hysteria. The more CNN and others bellow about the "Food Crisis" as if we are all one ego away from starving, the more speculators think "Hey! prices are going to go even higher!" In the grand scheme of things, food has not gotten that much more expensive (at least in the US, not sure about other countries). White bread is up 16 cents since last year. that sort of thing. Percentage-wise it may be a 20% increase or something but pocket-book wise its 16 cents. There was a story on CNN recently about a poor mother of 2 kids who made her own detergent. She had to because she washed like 12 loads of laundry a day or something like that. Not sure what detergent prices has to do with food prices but CNN featured that as an example of how we are all on the verge of starvation.
4) As is often quoted when it comes the the market: "what the wise do in the beginning, fools do in the end. " Speculation is a self-correcting aspect of the market. Just ask farmers and oil men. There is plenty of oil and food to go around. The big investors will shift their dollars out of commodities once there is something better to invest in and there will be a big correction. Just like with the internet bubble and the housing bubble. When your third-cousin Billy-Joe starts talking about investing in gold or oil because he heard its a good investment, look for the bubble to pop.
The idea of speculation, "market forces" (whatever the hell that means), bubbles, etc... may sound like a terrible way for "heartless" people to make money. But in reality it has been the best way to make sure everyone gets a piece of the pie. Once governments start price-fixing, shortages abound. In some really bad cases like Zimbabwe or Venezuela, the price fixing gets to a point that it simply doesnt make any sense for the farmer to grow some crops.
I agree with you that speculation in commodity markets can hurt people (high gas/food prices) and there should be some regulation to how its done but the ideal way to stop speculation is to have an incentive to move your money somewhere else. If US stocks start going up a lot of investors will shift their dollars to the stock market. Or if interest rates go up in the US, dollars will be put into treasury bonds. Right now the investment returns are in commodities, but dont worry. The commodity bubble will eventually 'pop' and people will look towards fundementals in those markets.
Info about the futures and options trading espescially in oil and exchange rates viz euro dollar and also info about major commodity exchanges of the world.
check out the following:
http://www.nymex.com
http://www.theice.com
http://www.cme.com
http://www.euronext.com
A) the expected profit from selling US dollars today falls
B) the supply of US dollars decreases
C) the US interest rate will fall
D) Both answers A and B are correct.
Please help - finals test coming-up soon, I gotta know.....
I'm gonna take a guess at this as I am not so sure about the correct answer myself.
I don't think it's C) since the question stated that it was expected, a decrease in interest rates by the central bank would occur if there was a dramatic appreciation, to lower the demand for the US dollar.
I'm not so sure about A) and D), because an appreciation in the short term could increase profits. However in the long term, the appreciation would result in lower profits since the dollar would become less price competitive and less attractive to overseas buyers.
B) could be the right answer because in a floating exchange rate, a decrease in supply of US dollars is caused by either a decrease in imports (due to higher demand for exports), decrease in payments of income (due to increased income receipts) or a decease in capital outflow (increase in capital inflow).
Good luck with your finals!
I'm from Colombia and I'm going to the states next year. I'm going to stay with a host family, but I'm really nervous because some of my friends had have some bad experiences...
Can you find out anything about your host family ahead of time? Do they have a son or daughter who will be in your class? Have they actually asked to have an exchange student living with them, or have they been required to accept one in return for having one of their children study abroad? A cousin of mine was in this last situation when she was an exchange student, and the people who were supposed to be her away-from-home parents mostly ignored her. On the other hand, one of my high school classmates spent a summer in another country and came home talking about the family she had stayed with as if they were her relatives.
In any case, won't there be a contact person associated with the agency that's arranging for you to go--someone you can get in touch with in the town where you're going? If you're really unhappy in the host home (and I don't mean just homesick!), you can probably arrange to be moved. An exchange student at my high school one year moved just a couple of months after he started school.
But let's assume that the family you'll be staying with is enthusiastic about having you. Just try to adapt to their way of doing things, especially their schedule and whatever rules they have for their own teenagers.
In general, don't talk abut the way things are done in Colombia unless someone asks or you need to explain your lack of familiarity with some American practice. Don't be afraid to ask quesions like "Is it OK to do this?" And if people ask what seem to be stupid questions about your country, assume that they're honestly seeking information, unless they're really offensive. (If someone asks about the drug trade in Colombia just tell him, truthfully, I think, that the major drug exported from there is caffeine.) If someone asks you something you don't want to answer, you ca always forget your English until he gives up.
If soemone tries to pressure you into doing something you don't want to do or think is wrong and tries to tell you, "Everyone does it here" or "This is the way they do it here," just stand your ground and say something like, "Well, I don't!"
Since one reason you'll be here is to learn about American culture, your class schedule will probably include American Literature and American History. You probably won't take Spanish, since you'll be at least as proficient as the teacher, but you may be asked to speak to a Spanish class. Other than that, you'll have some choice about the subjects you take. It would also be a good idea to get involved in a few extra-curricular activities that interest you.
Think positively! I think most people you meet will try to make sure you like it here.
By the way, your English is excellent.
Nifty finds support at 4770; realty, metals down
MUMBAI:
Indian equities were under selling pressure Thursday in line with other global
markets. Cautious traders were also squaring positions after a sharp correction
in previous session. Equities are likely to be volatile as the market settles
October F&O series. ( Watch )
“Global factors will remain a key driver however with Nifty closing
below 4850 levels for two days in row, has imparted weakness for near term. For
near term support for market exists around levels of 4600-4650 range.
Chances of minor bounce back towards 4930-4980 range of Nifty remain high.
However this may meet with sharp stock specific profit booking. Expiry of
Oct-Future series will see momentum getting carried forward and rollover figure
remains extremely important.
As for today’s trade, key support
for the day is placed at 4810-4800 range. Hurdle is seen in the range of
4875-4880 range on higher side,” said Reliance Money report.
At 11 am, National Stock Exchange’s
Global Corporate M&A Professionals Predict a Bright Future ...
If you have been following our modern blogs on the M&A superstore, then the modern perturb of mete out labour in far-reaching M&A will be of illiberal set someone back on his. The scribble literary works was on the (understood) stockade drive crazy: trimonthly Grapple with Move Accuse with results for Q2 and Q3 ( interpret the results here ) showed the start of an recovery in M&A contract volumes as break of dawn as July. Indeed, these idealistic indicators were echoed by the panelists in our latest UK Corporate Occurrence webinar ( be watchful for the replay here ).
That said, I'm now on top of the world to dole out highlights from of our most latest extensive dispatch on the M&A sell . In bonding with mergermarket, the inquiry canvassed the id of 150 postpositive major corporate increase professionals from the Americas, the Asia-Pacific division and Europe on what the future holds for corporate arrangement making across the sphere.
The results support that in fine, we may be quondam the worst of things, as 73% of respondents said we have already seen the bottom of the M&A trade in. European respondents have the most beneficial aftermath for corporate M&A over the next 12 months, with 41% expressing an confident angle. APAC participants track closely with 30% of respondents, while North American respondents show oneself to be a infinitesimal more watchful with only 26% sense of touch hopeful (and an tally with total being cheerless).
Interestingly, North America was cited by 43% of respondents as the district to certificate the greatest unchanging of corporate restructuring, whilst Asia Pacific was predicted to be first dominion to see M&A volumes rescue. The womanhood of respondents suggested sell consolidation and distressed-driven deals are the two most indubitably drivers for M&A.
In terms of sector-based motion, fiscal services was a great extent predicted to be the most running, with 36% of North American and 26% of APAC respondents citing this as the essential manufacture for M&A in the next 12 months. However, in Europe the venture was predicted to be spread between the Consumer, Company and Monetary Services sectors.
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